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Monday, December 22, 2014

Back in the summer, I had a request for a commission oil painting. I was about 75% through it when Ricky had his accident. In October, I found out that the painting needed to be finished before Thanksgiving instead of Christmas. I had not been to the art studio since September and had really no desire to do anything, but I was committed to this, so I had to get to work on it.

I went to the studio and picked it up, came home and started working on it a few days a week. At that time Ricky and I were spending 3 days week going back and forth to therapy for his hands, legs and neck. I stuck with it and was able to get it completed.

I had it framed for her, and my sister-in-law delivered it to her. She was so pleased and sent me the nicest thank you card. I hope the family member that she was giving it to was pleased with it.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Back in October I mentioned that my husband had an accident that injured his spinal cord. He had to have C3-C5 fused together. He lost the feeling in his hands and has trouble with his shoulders. He has 95% of his balance and walking ability back. The doctors tell us that whatever ability he has in a year will be all that he will get back. We have 9 months to go. He is back to working on his antique tractors, with help from his brothers and friends. He can't pick up over 25 lbs but he enjoys being out in his shop and trying to do as much as possible to keep busy and moving.

I have finally started working on my quilts again and it really makes me feel like I am doing something worthwhile. I have finished the blocks on a sampler of the month called "A Chocolate Sampler". I added about 12 extra blocks on the outside to make it big enough for our bed.

I still have to piece them together, add borders and quilt it but it's a lot closer than before.

I have also, just this morning, finished quilting my "Tennessee Country" quilt made from Bonnie Hunter's "Blue Ridge Beauty" pattern. You can find it in her Adventures with leaders and Enders book. I originally wanted to use variegated thread and quilt it with a Baptist Fan panto graph, but kept having problems with skipped stitches. After ripping out stitches twice, I really became frustrated so I just used Superior Bottom Line on both top and bottom.

After all the attempts with the variegated thread, I really like the solid color because it doesn't take away from the pattern of the quilt. I just did a free form meandering on it and I am a happy girl. Now, I just have to add a binding and put this baby on our bed.

It's nice to be back on the blogging scene. I have been reading most of my blogs but don't make comments very often. Now that life on the farm is getting back to some normalcy I should be able to be more active with everyone. I wish you all a wonderful day.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Really, it's from 2009. I have several quilts that I'm working on and one is a mystery quilt of Bonnie Hunter's called Double Delight. I finally finished part 2 today!

I have told myself that I needed to start working on the projects that I have already started before I get caught up in another new one. Even though I did print out the material list for Bonnie's new mystery, I know that I won't ever work on it this year. I do feel good that I have finished this step.

I also finished all the blocks from a block of the month video on Craftsy.com. I did purchase the fabric for this one, but I couldn't help it. I just fell in love with the colors.

I love batiks and I guess if I could spend lots of money on fabric it would be for colorful batiks. They just make me happy.

I will pick another project to work on tomorrow and will be posting about that later on. Enjoy your day.

Monday, October 20, 2014

I am still learning about my new laptop but I have realized that I can now get service all the way out at our barn. That's because we purchased a new router for the house. I now have a new wireless mouse, I'm still the old fashion one that likes that more that touch screen. Now I'm working on getting the hang of adding pictures and sizing correctly. Here are a couple of shots made with my phone, but sent to my email.

I have made a lounge area in my studio. I think I will enjoy using this space when I'm looking at quilt or art books and writing in my journals.

This is a table my daughter had that I thought would be great for an art table. It has extensions on each side that I have pulled out for extra space. I'm thinking of adding a shelf above it so I can put my laptop on it while watching videos. Today I was just playing with the computer so it all looks pretty neat. Usually it's a mess with paints, papers and sprays.

Monday, October 13, 2014

My old desktop finally gave up. I had worked with it for years and it became impossible to do anything with. I moved it out of my studio and stopped all blogging.
Actually, I have stopped almost everything. My husband had an accident that injured his spinal cord and the majority of my time has been spent taking care of him. He is steadily improving and is now able to be left alone so I am slowly making my way back out to my studio to have a little play time.

Saturday we decided to update our wi-fi router and I purchased a new laptop. I finally got the router set up yesterday afternoon and I will now be able to have the same access to the internet in my studio that I do in my house. THIS MAKES ME VERY HAPPY!!!!!!!!

This morning I am trying to learn as much as I can about this new laptop. It has windows 8 and tiles, which I am not familiar with. I do have an Ipad but using the tiles on a laptop is new to me. I'm from the old school and it is definitely a learning curve. I hope to be up and running soon so I can get back into the swing of posting again as well as reading the blogs that I follow. I have missed being in touch with everyone and being able to make comments on your posts. If you have any advice or tips about the HP Envy Touchsmart and Windows 8 I would welcome your comments.

Friday, June 27, 2014

I can't remember how long it has been since I started My Dear Jane quilt and that's sad. The good news is that I'm still plugging away on it. It may be 6 months to a year but I still go back to it and work on a few blocks. They have started up the Jane Stickle quilt Yahoo group again where they list a block challenge each week. I completed one today. It's supposed to be appliqued but I took the short cut. I'm not that crazy about applique.

This is the pattern for block M7 Junko's Garden.

I traced it onto fusible all in one piece and very carefully cut it out.

I very carefully pulled the backing away and

lined it up and pressed it down.

Now you tell me, would you have the patience's to try and applique those little pieces?

Not me. I may add a stabilizer to the back and stitch around it at a later time but right now it's one more block completed.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Living in the country is great but sometimes the internet service is not. I have been without web service for about a month or more. I can only use my phone or Ipad and I don't like to try and post to my blog with those. Mainly I have been on Facebook but not much else. I did join an online bible women's bible study using my Ipad because the discussions are on FB.

This morning I came out and looked at my art table and thought about the mess it was in,

and said, "I'm not ever going to be able to do anything on this table unless I clean it up." So, what was the first thing I did? I moved my desk. I thought why not, my internet connection isn't working anyway. Lo and behold, once I moved it, closer to a window, turned everything back on, I have access to the internet!!!!!!!! Thank you Lord!! Now, I don't know how long it will last but I might as well take advantage of it while I can.

I have been doing some sewing lately and will post about that later this week. Right now, I've got to get that table cleaned so I can play around with some art journals. I'm having withdrawals!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

I love roses and I'm always amazed at the way they look when they bloom. Here are my first blooms of the year.

This one is my favorite. I just love the way the color fades to light from the tips of the bloom.

This one has the biggest blooms. I have tried painting pictures of these roses for several years and I haven't gotten it correct yet. I don't know why I have such a difficult time with them. I especially like the rain drops that are showing on the pedals and leaves. More rain is due to come today and I wanted to get these pictures before they were pelted with more rain. Have a blessed day.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Okay, the other day I told you about my jewelry so today I'm showing you what I've done so far. Back in March I found a couple of bead shops in Nashville. That was a fun day, looking at all the beads. I have beads but I needed thread and needles. This is my first hand beaded bracelet.

I found the pattern on Beadshop.Com. They have a great video channel and some patterns are free to print from their website. I watched their videos and decided I wanted to try a different style. More shopping! Came home, set up my Ipad so I could watch and work at the same time. Came up with these bracelets.

They're not bad for first time weaving without a loom. I will eventually redo the multi-colored ones because my tension is off. Right now they are okay. Then I went to a beading class where you use a Ricks Beading Loom with no warp threads when you are finish. It was a little difficult in the beginning but I came home with this bracelet.

Of course I came home with the loom and this is what I'm working on now. I have a piece of black set under the threads so the pattern will show. The loom is all wood construction. If you're into beading, check out the websites I have linked, you might find something you like.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Lately I've been dreaming about my mother and in those dreams I don't see her as she was when she died. I see her young and vibrant like she was when I was little. Mother loved to swim and she would take us to the local pool during the summer. She had, what I thought at the time, some special way of floating on her back. I would hold her toes and she would pull me all around the pool. I can see her now, just laughing and having a ball. Those were good times.

Mother has been gone now for 2 years and there are days I still wake up thinking I need to visit mom today. Well, in a way, I do visit mom and it's not just in my dreams. My visits come through my thoughts during the day. They come through something said during a conversation and especially looking and talking to my daughter. She spent so many years around mom that she picked up a lot of her traits that I am beginning to see as Amanda gets older. When mom passed, she left her flame of life here on earth and that flame continues in her family that remains and it will continue until we are gone.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

The rain is coming. I can hear it beginning to hit our tin roof. Lightly as it starts then louder and louder until it's a downpour. I love listening to the rain but I don't like storms. Our pets aren't that crazy about them either. The dogs are laying close by, the cats are hiding under the furniture and my little horses are huddled under the tree.

Here is a page in my art journal that I made sometime back. It was when that line of storms came through and all the tornadoes were touching down everywhere. Our area was spared a lot of damage but I know the southern area of Tennessee was hit. Have a great day and try to make the most of it, no matter what comes your way.

Friday, May 9, 2014

You know, every year I try to learn something new. This year it's bead weaving! I think I'm addicted and it all started with this brooch.

This pin belonged to my Grandmother. It is stamped on the back edge J Coro and across the pin Coro. After a little research I found out those stamps were used after 1920 and my grandmother was born December 1900. My daughter, Amanda, took some jewelry pieces, which included the brooch, to her friend Megan, and she created this piece.

I love it! I wore it to church one Sunday and received several compliments on it. Many thanks go to Amanda for being so thoughtful and Megan for being so talented.

When Amanda gave this to me I thought of all the beads I had sitting in containers just waiting for something to be done with them. I started looking through You Tube and found several channels about making jewelry. That started the journey and I will show you what I have done in the next post. Stay tuned.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

I realize that I have been neglectful of my blogging lately. There are times that I just don't want to fool with it and there are times my computer doesn't work well and I get frustrated. Where I live we don't have cable so we use Hughes Net and I still have Windows 7. The service is okay when the weather is good, but when it's winter you can almost forget working on something like loading pictures or viewing videos.

Anyway, that doesn't have a thing to do with the title of the post, but this does.

"Winter Barn"

This is an original that I did back in the winter. I took the photo a few years ago and promised Ricky I would do a painting of it. I was taking a break on the Crucifixion painting and worked on this one.

Here is the photo that I used as a reference. I was standing on the carport when this was taken. I loved the was the red stood out among all the snow and the white fence. I wanted the painting to have a dimensional look so I used a palette knife to add white paint on the roof, fence posts, tree limbs and ground.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Today's memory is about my mom and dad. They were married May 5, 1948 and I have thought of them off and on all day.

I can't tell you when this was made, probably in the early 80's. I only know it was at the church and it was my father's family reunion. Both parents and my oldest brother have passed but looking at this photo sure brings back a lot of memories about my family.
My middle brother Patrick, is in the light shirt. When he was in the Navy he came home on leave and while my mom and I were out he dyed his blonde hair and eyebrows black. When we got home he stuck his head out the door and my mom said, "Well, you Terry Newman looking thing". Terry was her brother and she was right Pat looked just like him. He had dye all over the bathroom but all we could do was laugh.
When I got old enough to go into night clubs, my oldest brother Michael decided I could go with him one night. He had this red Volkswagen, pin striped black with chrome wheels. We were in Nashville and he was trying to get through all the traffic so he decided to drive on the sidewalk. I gotta tell ya, it scared the ..... out of me. I just knew we would get stopped and arrested, but all Mike did was laugh at me.
Memories of Sunday dinners, lots of laughter, disagreements of course and love. That's what I'm remembering today.

Monday, February 3, 2014

At the end of 2013 Ricky and I decided to have our attic sprayed with this new type of foam. Our home

was built way back when and the attic had very little, if any, insulation in it. When they came to give us an estimate, they told us we would have to cut a hole in the ceiling in order to reach all of the areas of the attic. Okay, we went with it and had them come but we ended up with two holes in the ceiling. Ricky wanted me to paint a couple of barn quilts of wood and that is what we used to cover the holes.

I found the pattern I wanted to use. We went to Lowe's and purchased the wood, which Ricky cut into two pieces, and the paint. It took me a few minutes to figure out the angles, but once I got it started everything fell into place. I used a pencil to mark my sections with the color of paint and started working. If you do this make sure you erase your notes before you start painting. That way you don't have to worry about the pencil bleeding through.

The hardest, and scariest, part was Ricky on a 6ft. ladder, reaching out over the stairway, trying to screw the boards into the ceiling. I would stand in a chair and help hold them up while he attached them. All in all, we made it and I have to say they look pretty good up there. Of course, no one will ever see them because we don't use the upstairs and we don't have that many visitors. Ricky said I needed to paint the screw heads to match the pattern but I'm not climbing a ladder for that. No way! I like them just the way they are.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Hey, I sure hope everyone is staying as safe and warm as possible. My wind chimes are really singing the blues due to this cold weather and wind. I have joined in with Grow Your Blog and hope to meet some new blogging friends.

I recently signed up for a new block of the month class on Craftsy.com and just had to have the fabric. I mean, just look at it, so bright and cheery, how could I resist.

I can't wait to get them washed, pressed and ready to go. This just adds another quilt to the long list of projects I have in the works but that's okay. I like moving from one thing to another.

I'm still working on this oil painting for our church. It seems like every time I start working on it I have these conversations with Jesus and Mary about how it looks and what how I should add this or fix that. It's just another way of staying close to God during the process.

Last but not least, I just finished my new art journal. I am proud to say I made paper beads to use and I'm very happy with how they turned out. Now all I need to do is start filling the pages with my mixed media art work.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you leave a comment. Have a blessed day!

Monday, January 13, 2014

At my last art class for 2013 our instructor, David, had us do a "paint around". This was my first time participating in something like that and at first I was a little nervous. He gave each of us a small canvas and a picture. We had to mix our paints and lightly sketch out the picture on the canvas with the paint.

He then started music and we worked on the background until the music stopped and we moved to the next table. The music started and we worked on that painting until he said stop. It's kinda like musical chairs but no one is eliminated. After we made our way around the room and back to our painting they were 99% complete. What a joyful time we had and the paintings were fantastic.

This is my painting. The only Christmas painting that I have.

This is all of the painting that we worked on. I love each one.

And this is all of the lovely ladies that worked together to make each painting special. We all had such a wonderful time full of laughter and music, plus we had goodies to eat as we played.